Sustainable development and the many faces of minority: A study of Esiaba Irobi's Hangmen Also Die, JP Clark's The Wives Revolt and Ahmed Yerima's Hard Ground

Abstract

The condition of minority groups in a country is a test of democracy in that country. In this democratic dispensation, minority problems have received the greatest attention in history. But, whereas countries grapple with minority matters, and the so called minority groups agitate for recognition and justice, it remains even more unclear who these minorities really are. Existing definitions of the word leaves one with the impression that anybody and any group of people can be minority at different places and at different times, depending on the basis racial, political, gender, economic, religious, social class and age. In the absence of an encompassing definition of minority, we are going to examine three plays that deal with the minority problems with a view to understanding what defines a minority group; what it feels like to be in minority. The paper will attempt to address some burning questions such as; is minority status an immutable existential law? What can be done to turn things around for the better for the minority groups? How far has Affirmative Action gone in providing the needed solution to minority problems? How can Minority Rights be achieved through dialogue or violent confrontation?. These plays portray many faces of minority. The paper will, also, critically appraise the various approaches to minority problems as contained in the plays.